The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

The Goethe-Institut is thrilled to partner with The Brattle and Wicked Queer for this special program of film screenings, featuring groundbreaking contributions of German filmmakers and offering a diverse array of films exploring the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities. Curated by Anne Dymek, Harvard University, this series is a rare opportunity to see some of the most important queer cinema from the first half of the 20th century alongside groundbreaking work from the 1970s through today. Dymek and her students will provide introductions to each film, creating a forum for thought and conversation.
This unforgettable, unforgiving dissection of the imbalanced relationship between a haughty fashion designer (Carstensen) and a beautiful but icy ingenue (Schygulla)—based, in a sly gender reversal, on the writer-director’s own desperate obsession with a young actor—is a true Fassbinder affair, featuring exquisitely claustrophobic cinematography by Michael Ballhaus and full-throttle performances by an all-female cast. – Janus Films
Germany 1972
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder w/Margit Carstensen, Hanna Schygulla
124 min • 35mm